Toronto, Canada - The Canadian government announced last week that the expansion of the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) program, to include travelers from Mexico and three other countries, is part of the country's 2015-2016 annual budget.

The Mexican government welcomed the announcement, which is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2016.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that according to the new measure, Mexicans who are in possession of a United States visa or have had a Canadian visa in the past 10 years can apply online for the ETA and avoid having to apply for a visa.

This system also applies to nationals of those countries that currently do not require a visa to enter Canada.

In turn, Mexico is establishing a similar program called Sistema de Autorización Electrónica (SAE or Electronic System Authorization), which enables nationals of certain countries to obtain a travel authorization electronically, the Foreign Ministry said. "The implementation of this measure is an essential step towards the elimination of the Canadian visa to Mexican nationals," said the institution.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that this measure is the result "of the diplomatic dialogue, deepening the relationship between the two countries over the past two years and the joint efforts of the authorities to move forward in building mutual trust."

In addition to Mexico, citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania may enjoy this new measure. Under the ETA program people from these nations who want to travel to Canada must first obtain an electronic authorization, similar to the Electronic Authorization System for traveling to the United States.